


The Apollo Astronaut in the Lake.

by orphan_account



Series: Jenny: Tales from the life of the Doctor's daughter. [11]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22136464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After a long time the trio from Leadworth, the Doctor and Jenny meet again.
Series: Jenny: Tales from the life of the Doctor's daughter. [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524425
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	The Apollo Astronaut in the Lake.

The Ponds received a letter from the Doctor numbered '3', Dr River Song received '2', Canton Everett Delaware III received '4' and the Doctor sent himself '1'.

This was a list of people who needed to be at the lake in order of the Doctor's trust in them, so where was his daughter's invitation to his wake and what was it numbered?

One week before he was supposed to die a letter addressed to Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott arrived a a house in Chiswick inside the white, handwritten envelope was a note to pass on the enclosed TARDIS blue envelope to it's recipient.

A call went through and Jenny picked up her letter with haste and subsequently prepared for her journey as in her experience she would require a wide array of items depending on what her dad was inviting her to see.

With her TARDIS on her back as a backpack once she was in the area she caught the bus to the map reference doubting she would be noticed. That was wrong. Amy recognized her and so did Rory so they say for next to Jenny asking if, as a Timelady, she knew what was happening. Jenny shook her head to indicate the negative and asked that they pretend they don't know her around the Doctor which the couple agreed to do.

The three arrived at their destination, thanked the driver and stepped off of the bus.

"This is it, yeah? The right place?" Amy asks.

"Nowhere, middle of?" Rory says as if it was obviously be where they should be though also a bit uncertain.

"This should be it you two." Jenny replies as the bus drives off revealing the Doctor on a car bonnet on the other side of the road.

"Howdy!" The Doctor cuts in.

Amy and Rory cross the road to say hello to the Doctor, Jenny hangs back and is the only one to see River Song approach. River makes a 'shush' motion at her and shoots the Doctor's Stetson off of his head and both of them laugh at the face he makes before saying hello.

"Hello Sweetie." That's River.

"Doctor, hi, not met this one yet, well once, well not really - it was in some memories I was unlocking for a friend and also the people from the Shansheeth adventure told me about this new regeneration of yours." That's Jenny.

They both then crossed the road to join the other three before going to the cafe where the Doctor and River sync their diaries, Jenny watches them amused from behind a milkshake.

At the Doctor calling "Space... 1969" somewhere 'brand new' Jenny laughed but wouldn't say what was so funny just that it was something that a friend of hers had mentioned. 

On the beach Jenny declined the wine saying that she had tried it but didn't like it much. Jenny chuckled again at Rory's comment on the moon landing. "Oh a lot more happens in '69 than anyone remembers." The Doctor replies and meets a mumbled comment from Jenny.

"Like Lonely Assassins and your stupid 'timey wimey' device." Was the comment.

"Why are you here, is it just to insult me?" The Doctor questions.

"I don't know, you invited me, you should have known I'd insult you." Was Jenny's response.

Soon Canton's car arrives and the Doctor waves to him before heading to the astronaut on the shore. Jenny sees what the Doctor is doing and starts to tear up, she helps restrain Amy repeating at her that "We can't this is a fixed point we cannot save the Doctor this has to happen I'm sorry."

Jenny stays as the other three run to the body to see Canton carrying a can, she knows what she should do, traditionally and for the sake of the universe but she doesn't want to that's her dad and presumably only River could know that but Jenny doesn't know if River knows so she can't say anything, she walks down with Canton, crying.

"Whatever that was, it killed him in the middle of his regeneration cycle. His body was already dead. He didn't make it to the next one." River told a crying Amy.

"He didn't have-" Jenny began cutting off, hiccuping then continuing, "he didn't have another, River," Jenny's sobs increased but Jenny stifled some to finish her sentence, "that was his last regeneration, he- he- he couldn't've come back, he's gone," she sank to her knees repeating the last two words whilst Amy questioned the Doctor's authenticity.

"I believe I can save you some time. That most certainly is the Doctor, and he is most certainly dead. He said you'd need this." Canton says and by this point most tears have subsided though there are a few on everyone that keep falling.

"Gasoline?" Rory questions.

"Tradition," mumbles Jenny.

"A Timelord's body is a miracle. Even a dead one. There are whole empires out there who'd rip this world apart for just one cell." River tells her father.

"It's why, traditionally, Timelords burn bodies on a funeral pyre which is why we can't leave him here, or anywhere - we have to burn his body." Jenny supplies.

Amy asks what they should do and River tells her mother that, as the Doctor's friends, they have to do as they're told. Rory spots a boat which they put the body in, Jenny helps Rory send the boat out and the five of them watch it burn Jenny singing an old funeral hymn she remembered from Galifrey the language not translated but the sentiment clear even to those who don't know Galifreyan.

"Who are you? Why did you come?" River asks Canton.

"Same reason as you," he pulls out his envelope and River pulls out hers, "Dr Song... Amy... Rory... Anomaly. I'm Canton Everett Delaware III. I won't be seeing you again. But... you'll be seeing me" Canton replies then leaves.

"Four." River says.

"Sorry, what?" Rory asks.

"The Doctor numbered the envelopes," River says, they go back to the cafe, "You got three," she addresses her parents, "I was two, Mr Delaware was four." She explained.

"So?" Asked Rory.

"So where's one, cause I don't have one?" Jenny says. Amy is standing at a booth but not moving.

"You think he invited someone else?" Rory asks.

"Well, he must have. He planned all of this to the last detail." River replies.

"Will you three shut up? It doesn't matter." Amy says.

"He was up to something." River said.

"He's dead." Amy says back.

"Space 1969, what did he mean?" River asks.

"You're still talking but it doesn't matter." Amy says and Jenny really wants to punch her.

"Hey it mattered to him." Rory says.

"So it matters to us." River takes her father's side.

"He's dead." Amy repeats.

"But he still needs us. I know. Amy... I know and so does the Anomaly, we both know. But right now we need to focus." River tells her mother.

"Look, I found one." Jenny says.

"Excuse me, who was sitting over there?" Rory asks the waiter.

"Some guy." He replies.

"The Doctor knew he was going to his death so he sent out messages. When you know it's the end, who do you call?" River says.

"Your friends, people you trust." Rory responds.

"Number one. Who did the Doctor trust the most? Also what number do you have if not one Anomaly?" River questions.

"Zero." Jenny states at almost a whisper. A door opens and the Doctor walks in.

"This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold." River says as Jenny tries not to tear up again, she can see the difference, this is a far younger version of the Doctor.

"Or, "Hello," as people used to say." The Doctor responded.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"I just popped out to get my special straw. It adds more fizz." The Doctor told her. Amy approached him, the Doctor reassured her he was okay, greeted Rory and then River, Jenny stood back. "And Dr River Song... Oh, you bad, bad girl, what trouble have you got for me this time?" He says, River slaps him, "Okay, I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet." He says.

"Yes, it is." River tells him.

"Good, looking forward to it." He replies.

"I don't understand. How can you be here?" Rory says.

"I was invited. Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence." The Doctor tells him.

"I understand, how old are you now Doctor?" Jenny asks her father.

"909. Why?" He says, "also since when were we back on speaking terms?"

"We always were I just couldn't help, paradoxes and the like - you know how it is." Jenny tells him.

"What are we all doing here?" The Doctor asks.

"We've been recruited. Something to do with space, 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware III." River tells him.

"Recruited by who?" The Doctor asks.

"Someone who, for whatever stupid reason, trusts you more than anyone else in the universe." Jenny replies.

"Who?" The Doctor asks turning around to face them.

"Spoilers!" Jenny and River say together.

The group relocate to the Doctor's TARDIS. Amy and River go below deck. "Is everybody cross with me for some reason?" The Doctor asks.

"I'll find out." Rory says and goes to talk with any and River as Jenny tries to keep her dad at the console, she buys the other three time to talk a bit, she hopes its enough.

"I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no-one to stand around looking impressed. What's the point in having you all?" The Doctor calls down.

"OI!" Jenny yells at him. The three Ponds go back up and the Doctor rambles about time and the TARDIS.

They need to go to Washington DC, April 8th, 1969. Then the Doctor has his little tantrum.

"You think I'm just going to go? Who sent those messages? I know you know, I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever think you're capable of that." The Doctor says from the chair he sat on.

"You're going to have to trust us this time." River tells him.

"Trust you? Sure. But first of all, Dr Song, just one thing... Who are you? You're someone from my future, getting that but who? Okay... Why are you in prison? Who did you kill? Hmm? Now, I love a bad girl, me, but trust you? Seriously?" The Doctor is standing by this point.

"Then, trust my judgement. We may not have been best friends but I swear this is important you need to do this." Jenny says linking their left pinkie fingers and crossing both her hearts one at a time as she talks, "pinkie promise, cross my hearts, I will tell as much as I can without causing a temporal paradox."

"My life in your hands, Anomaly." The Doctor tells her.

"Thank you." River says.

The events play out much the same (though Jenny corrects the Doctor's piloting with River) until Amy tries to shoot the spacesuit, Jenny tries to stop the bullet but it still hits the suit but missed the girl after going through Jenny's hand, blood was dripping from it like mad she quickly wraps it in a bandage from her TARDIS-backpack. 

3 months later:

Jenny's hand has healed though the skin is warped on her right hand in the centre of her Palm and on the back where the hole was, it'll be there until she next regenerates or it may even stay longer. Amy still feels bad about it.

"Where's Lee?" Is River's first question when they catch her.

"Don't know, she's never showed up," Canton tells her, "not once since the warehouse." 

"Was wondering when someone would notice," came Jenny's voice from her backpack on one of the chairs, she emerged, stretched then said, "well I had a hand to treat, see all better now. Well, more or less." She held up her hand.

Jenny stayed mostly on the TARDIS but stayed in the cell with Canton and the injured silent and Amy's video phone.

Jenny leaves to talk to River once the Doctor leaves. After about ten minutes they part ways. "Until next time Jenny."

"See you soon-ish River, oh, uh, do you know?"

"What? That you're the Doctor's daughter from Messaline who he thinks it's dead because you haven't told him yet?"

"Yes. You won't tell him, well you?"

"Yes, I know, but I won't say anything, you should tell him yourself, he's your dad."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."


End file.
